Owyhee Canyonlands - Hart Creek Day Five

Saturday September 29 2007

Day 5 of the Owyhee Canyonlands ride was a day of laughs and cheers and tears - all good.

The morning started out blustery and cold - hard to get out of that warm bed in the morning - but beautiful and sunny. No rain last night down here in the canyon, but a very light powder-dusting of snow on the Owyhee Front Range mountains , with remains of a few storm clouds hanging over.

56 riders, 38 on the 50 and 18 on the 30, braved the cold winds - which lasted throughout the day and could threaten to blow you off your horse on the ridges - bundled in layers of clothing, some of the horses wearing butt blankets, warming up well before the starts.

Connie rode Cap'n again, and I rode Rushcreek Mac again, on the LD. The first loop took us up out of Pickett Creek onto the eastern plateau, along the beautiful Rim Trail overlooking Hart Creek. We hadn't gone more than 5 miles when Mac went ouchie on some rocks, more than once, so I abandoned the trail, turned off and took a shortcut home with him. Being a Nebraska ranch horse all his life, he's been barefoot till he came here - apparently Nebraska does not have rocks. I was bummed to miss the rest of the trail, down along Hart Creek, back up a steep, narrow ridge, and another rim loop trail for loop 2, but I've been lucky enough to see these trails already. Besides, it was just as well for Connie and Cap'n, because Cap'n (aka Deckhand), who always wants to be the boss, was having FITS because Mac, the lowest horse on the totem pole, was allowed to go in FRONT of him for a while. Connie reported later that as soon as we parted ways, Cap'n was the perfect gentleman to ride.

Mac and I had a nice stroll back to camp. He stopped to take in the view a couple of times, one of which was Steph on the 4-wheeler far below on Bates Creek Road, leading a rider-less horse back to camp. Uh-oh. Apparently rider and horse had parted ways up on the rim to the west, and the horse had taken off east a few miles, perhaps thinking he'd head back to his barn in Elko, Nevada. Both horse and rider were unscathed.

13 riders completed the 30, including Connie, and Gretchen Montgomery who accompanied her friend Debbie on her first endurance ride ever, and Bruce Worman, riding Steph's big old great gelding Nature's Khruschev. Krusty is a former international competitor, now semi-retired and a riding horse for Bruce's daughter.

53 riders finished the 50, 9 of them having gone all 5 days. It's quite the accomplishment to ride one horse 4 or 5 days in a row, the horse looking as fit to continue at the finish of the last day as he did at the beginning of the first.

Many people had left ridecamp for home, so they missed out on another good home-cooked meal by the Blue Moon Caterers Deborah and Al, but those people remaining still had a lively time and enjoyable evening.

One of the finishers, Vicki Archer, was especially proud to have completed all 5 days. 5 years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two weeks after finishing up with chemo and radiation, she was here for an Owyhee endurance ride, her husband Jim helping her on and off her horse. Today, getting on and off her horse without help (but with Jim crewing, or riding with her) she celebrated her 5th anniversary of being cancer free, completing one day of an Owyhee ride for every year.

As usual, there were plenty of awards handed out, all finishers getting awards and a hand, and there was Best Condition in the 30's and 50's, highest vet scores, and fastest overall time for the 5-day riders. But there was also a special Vet's Choice award given by Dr Michael Peterson.

He was impressed with all the riders and horses that completed the feat of all 5 days, "but there was one horse and rider that just stood out. If it were ever necessary to grab a horse from someone to escape from the law, I know which one I'd take, and that would be Tom Noll and Frank."

A terrific cheer went up for one of the coolest endurance horses in the Northwest, and one of the most deserving riders to ever put foot in an endurance stirrup. Tom wasn't the only one with tears in his eyes this evening - I expect everybody knows how proud Tom is of his little bay horse. Tom was speechless with the honor and recognition, and we were all just as pleased for the both of them, who do all us endurance riders proud with their ever-optimistic attitudes and admirable accomplishments. Way to go, Frank and Tom.

It Just Don't Get No Better Than This. : )

Owyhee Canyonlands - Wild Horse Butte Day Four

Friday September 28 2007

I like a good thunderstorm... when I'm safe inside somewhere. Today we had a 40% chance of thunderstorms moving in after noon, with 20 mph winds gusting to 30, and a 70% chance of rain overnight. I think I was the only one of 56 riders on the Wild Horse Butte ride who even noticed the cloud patterns and the development throughout the day. Steph knows how afraid I am of lightning, and she said, "Don't worry, you won't be up high." Well - not up high in the mountains, but up high on the wide-open flat, exposed plateau where every horse and rider is taller than all the sagebrush! But I tried not to think too hard about it during the day as the clouds developed.

And Connie received a great blow early on in her endurance career: she lost her scheduled mount. This was on Rhett, the horse that everybody loves most. She'd been looking forward to it all week, but that's what happens sometimes - the mount you thought you were going to ride isn't available, or, you travel all the way from British Columbia to Idaho to do a 5-day ride, and your horse goes lame. When Connie heard that had happened to Barbara Holmes, and that it was also Barbara's 64th birthday today, well, it was pretty easy to give up a mount for that. Besides, Connie got to ride Jose instead, and everybody loves to ride Jose almost as much as Rhett.

Connie and I teamed up with Gretchen Montgomery for the 50; I rode Gretchen's extra horse Raffiq, another horse buddy of mine who I've ridden some 700 miles over the years. Gretchen rode her mare Spice. We rode along at the back of the pack again, because Jose - although he knows a lot of new tricks now - isn't quite fit enough to go too fast.

On another beautiful and chilly morning, we headed out up onto the flats and north toward the Snake River. We girls had a great time, whooping and Yee Hawing along our trail, and the horses appeared to be having their own good time. Raffiq - who got his 4000 miles yesterday with Gretchen - cruised along at his steady Raffiq Shuffle. I swear he knows how to follow ribbons now, and not just heading for home. The only bad thing that could be complained about were the bugs that swarmed us when we slowed to a walk. They were tolerable to us humans, but they were really torturing the horses - ear bugs that kept them all shaking their heads. We were wishing for at least a Bug Breeze - say, an 8 mph wind - that would blow the bugs away, but instead, we kept up a steady slow trot to keep them at bay.

We were riding in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, where 24 species of raptors migrate through or nest. We only saw a red-tailed hawk all day, but thirty yards away, loping beside us for a bit was a coyote. Three years ago not far from here I saw a black wolf, and two years ago I came across wolf tracks. Also two years ago, same area, two riders (including Tom Noll on Frank) were following cougar tracks on a morning loop.

After 19 miles we came into the first vet check, where the horses dove into their grain and hay for the 40 minute hold. I noticed the first inkling of clouds over the Owyhee Front Range, but I didn't say anything - yet.

From there we had a 20-mile loop out and around Wild Horse Butte, a gentler decline that led us right down to and alongside the wide Snake River. The bugs were still bad down by the River, but we'd smeared bug juice in our horses' ears, so they were happily not tortured by them any more. It was quite warm there too - we'd overdressed a bit just in case the rain and wind started before we got back to the second vet check. Instead, when we stopped for water where the trail turned back up onto the flats, Gretchen fetched the water bucket that had been left there for us (it was a bit too swampy for the horses to safely get to the River's edge), and doused all the horses (Jose's first time!), and herself, thoroughly. Connie and I about had to tether her to her horse so she didn't go swimming in the Snake.

On our way back to the vet check at the same spot, we spent some time travelling along the Oregon Trail. I always think about the pioneers who made these trails, and how this area must have looked 100 years ago with only a handful of people living here (not that there are so many now!).

The entire sky had clouded over by the time we got back to the vet check, and the wind had kicked up a bit, blowing clouds of sand through the camp. So far, and I know by being out in far too many lightning storms, we were just looking at rain. Except for this one spot of dark blue clouds that looked a bit like a cow's udder. And we were headed that way.

Out for our last 11 miles home, back south, across the highway, with heavy, dark blue rainstorm clouds dumping along the Snake River where we'd been , and heavy blue and purple and gray questionable rain clouds ahead of us... and we were up on the flats now for our final stretch home. We had a good drink at a water stop about 5 miles from home, then I put Raffiq in front, and kept up a good steady trot, whether Spice and Jose wanted to follow us or not. The wind picked up strongly, and we could see a rain storm blowing through Pickett Creek and base camp far ahead and below us to our left, and, straight ahead of us, darker clouds. The rain drops finally hit us, and I stopped to put my jacket on, then urged Raffiq onwards. I wanted to get OFF this exposed mesa, just in case. I wasn't scared... yet... Connie and Gretchen swore they hadn't heard any thunder yet, but with the wind now blasting us 20 mph in the face, we wouldn't have heard it if a bolt had hit beside us.

The rain shower in Pickett Creek dissipated quickly, and just as quickly, the rain drops pelting us blew onward, and we were actually now headed into a bit of sunshine. We dropped off the high plain into Bates Creek Canyon, and made our way through the washes and down the road into camp. There had been only 2 riders behind us all day, and on our last loop in, we passed 2 more people. Connie was pretty excited that she wouldn't get the Turtle Award today, but we told her that if for some reason those 4 riders got pulled at the finish, she could once again be the Turtle. Just in case, Gretchen and I made sure she crossed the finish line in front of us.

After all the horses had come in, and as we were all sitting down to another delicious dinner catered by Deborah and Al Linder of Blue Moon Catering, the cold front blew in with those 30 mph gusts of wind. All riders, bundled up in layers of thick jackets and hats, gathered around the 'stage' very closely for the ride awards - Steph doesn't have a megaphone - and to listen to head veterinarian Dr Michael Peterson as he gave another little talk. Again he held everybody mesmerized with his knowledgeable and passionate talk on the importance of feeding roughage (a little bit often is better than a lot once or twice a day), fat instead of carbohydrates (won't make a horse 'hot,' and won't heat the horse up and therefore possibly contribute to metabolic problems), and the importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and the link between them and help for arthritis. You could have heard a pin drop (if the wind hadn't been blowing a gale) for everybody listening to and hanging on every word he spoke.

39 of the 40 starters finished the 50, and 15 of the 16 starters finished the 30 mile ride. 10 horse and rider teams on the 50's are still going strong for all 4 days.

With one more day to go, Nance Worman is still in contention for the Owyhee Tough Sucker Award - all eight days of 50-mile Owyhee Endurance Rides - and Tom Noll is up for the Owyhee Really Tough Sucker Award, which is all 8 of those rides plus a 100-mile ride. Tom's rides were all on Frank, so that would make Frank, what - Idaho Super Tough Sucker Horse of the Year?

Owyhee Canyonlands - Sinker Creek Day Three

Thursday September 27 2007

Today's ride took 29 50-milers and 15 30-milers down to and through Sinker Creek Canyon, a rich, biodiverse, flowing creek framed by rugged red cliffs and lined with willows and cottonwoods. Our limited distance trail took us up onto the plateau above Bates Creek, and cross-country to Sinker Creek. The 50-milers did this loop and another loop up on the plateau toward the north.

I was riding Rushcreek Mac, Steph's newish horse from the Rushcreek Ranch, on his first LD ride; Connie was riding Cap'n, John's big black brute on his first LD, and Carol joined us on her horse August on his first LD. We were drag riders again, assigned to close gates behind the last riders, although it ended up that everybody had to open and shut gates, since cows and semi-wild ranch horses were out and about.

We three aimed to start out only a half hour behind everybody, but that turned into 45 minutes because Connie and I just couldn't seem to get organized this morning - our crew bag disappeared, bridle angst, etc. We'd warned Carol that she might have a 'special' experience riding with us today, but she insisted she wanted to.

It was another beautiful fall day in the high desert, temperatures mild in the 70's, and blue skies and sunshine. We met some of the 50-milers coming back into their vet check off their first loop, some of them having been victims of Trail Gremlins, which caused a few of them to miss a few turns. Try as hard as we could, Connie and Carol and I were unable to get lost, but that was probably because we were going so slow.

In the canyon, we wound back and forth through the rocky creek, winding through the willows and ducking under some real low branches. I couldn't help but think of tall Max Merlich on his tall mule Junior as I threw myself flat over Mac's neck a few times to avoid getting scraped off my horse. Or, was it Mac trying to scrape me off on purpose? He did seem to like walking straight through some of the lowest branches of willows. He also liked eating them - he plucked up a whole willow tree and carried it along for a while until I stopped to pull it out of his mouth. On the trail we met some real Idaho cowboys and cowgirls and cowdogs looking for stray cattle.

Rushcreek Mac has been here since the spring, but he hasn't quite fit in with Steph's horse herd - he's a bit of a loner. I think he misses Nebraska, and the cows he worked with for 6 or 7 years. Every time we go out for a training ride, he's probably thinking we're finally going out to round up the cows... but we never see any. I did see one lone calf above the creek, hiding out from the ranchers, up a side canyon, behind a rock outcropping. Mac didn't see him, or he might've taken cow matters into his own hands.

Mac was a dream to ride, and so was August for Carol. Carol was actually sad she rode him, because now she likes him too much to sell him. Cap'n, however, was not a dream to ride. He likes to be the boss, everywhere, and in everything. Connie did well with him, and he did pretty well for his first endurance ride, but we demoted him from Cap'n to Deckhand till he is taken down a few notches and relinquishes his desire to be the boss.

Nevertheless, we all had a great ride. We decided, as we raced home the last 100 yards for the finish (at a trot), who was going to be the Turtle. Carol really wanted it, so we let her come in last (we saw a coyote right behind Carol as we made the last turn for home). But, Carol's horse pulsed down first, so, it was a race between Connie and me for Turtle! But Connie didn't want to be the Turtle again! The pulse taker went between Mac and Deckhand, and Mac was down first - Connie was again the Turtle! (And she got a cool award again for it.)

27 50-milers completed, and all 15 starters on the LD completed.

Owyhee Canyonlands - Petroglyphs Day Two

Wednesday September 26 2007

The way for an endurance rider to really see what goes on in an endurance ride is to ride one and to work one. Today Connie and I worked the ride. Day Two was a 60 mile out-and-back loop to the Snake River and the Petroglyphs. Perfect day for it, chilly in the morning again and 70's in the afternoon - though it felt a lot warmer down in the canyon.

The vet check was set up out on a bluff above the Snake River 20 miles out, and the same one was used on the way back. The morning began with a cup or two of coffee, which resulted in mad scrambling to get the trucks and trailers loaded in time to get on the road to meet the first riders coming into the first vet check. Well, the vets were on time, but the rest of us lingered a little too long over our coffees.

The riders were off at 7:30 AM, or 7:45 AM - not too many people are in a hot-shoe hurry - and we were off in our vehicles more or less at 8 AM. Steph and I and Girlie the Cowdog, in the truck pulling the horse trailer, were leading Connie in her truck, who was leading Paul and the portapotties... and we lost Paul.

Since only Steph really knew where the vet check was, we pulled over and waited for Paul, and waited. Finally, having visions of overturned portapotties on Bates Creek Road, Steph sent Connie back to look for him, saying we'd flag the road turns with ribbons for her.

We drove on, hearing some kind of loud Bang off the back of the truck and seeing a big puff of dust, which we stopped to look for something that had fallen off the truck, then saw the portapotties cutting cross-country on a dirt road, which meant that Connie wouldn't have found them at all. (She drove all the way back to the house, and not finding them, just had another cup of coffee, then found her way out to the vet check). Later in the day, we lost Zico's dog bed off the back of Connie's truck. We were sure all of this had something to do with the lingering effects of the full moon.

A couple of riders got pulled at the 20-mile check, and a few more at the return 40-mile check. It's a long climb down to the Snake River, and a long climb back out on a hard and rocky road. Lameness and a few metabolic incidents took their tolls on a few horses.

Nevertheless, I heard no complaints about the weather or the fantastic scenery or the trail. Happiest horse of the day appeared to be Frank, Tom Noll's horse. I asked Tom at dinner (parmesan chicken and a special potato dish!) how Frank was doing. Tom shook his head. "Ya know? He's just a monster. He got a chiropractic adjustment, and he's gotten two adequan shots, (Frank is 19 now) and it's added 5 years to his life. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing!"

24 horses and riders finished Day Two, with Nance Worman and Tom Noll still in the running for the Owyhee Totally Tough Sucker award.

Owyhee Canyonlands - Moonshine Day One

Tuesday September 25 2007

It was a day of firsts - namely, Connie's first 50 mile ride. We had the Very Important Job of being drag riders - gate-closers. Here in the West, the general rule of thumb is, leave the gates how you found them. Some of the gates were left open for a few hours today for the convenience of the riders, but we had to follow and close some of them to keep cows in or out.

It was a chilly morning - a little bit of ice down on Pickett Creek - and 41 horses were puffing steam for the 7:30 AM start. I hiked up the steep badlands hill just before the start to catch the horses scrambling up to the ridge. Then I hiked back down to the yard, where Connie and I saddled our horses, Jose and Rhett, and we headed off onto the trail at 8:30. We wanted to give the last riders plenty of time to get ahead of us and through the gates, so we could cruise right along, and I really didn't want Rhett to get a glimpse of the horses ahead of us, because he's one horse that knows how to pull.

We didn't have to worry about catching anybody, because Jose (aka Chunky Monkey), was a little out of shape. And it was only his second 50, so we used this ride as a training ride - for Rhett, (learning to relax and go at a slower pace, be patient for closing gates, and be patient for Kodak moments), for me (learning how to ride better from Connie's instructions), and for Jose (learning to be patient for Kodak moments and closing gates , and a variety of other things that you'll see).

After 2 hours we'd only gone 12 miles, and Connie was getting a little concerned about making it another 16 miles to the lunch vet check, where her bag of goodies was waiting. But the breathtaking high desert scenery, the wide open spaces, the canyons and plateaus, and the amazing quality of the Arabians that so easily (even if they are out of shape) carry us to remote places on the planet, took her mind off her lunch (as did the chocolate expresso beans in my butt pack). By the time we poked into the vet check, there were a few workers left - Regina the timer, Bruce the shoer, Paul the pulse-taker and portapotty driver (who threatened to drive off with me in the facilities), and Owen Balch the vet, waiting patiently on us and the 4 horses still there finishing up their hour hold time. Jose and Rhett dove into their oat soup, Connie got her treaties, and I was very happy to open up the Starbucks coffee drink I'd stashed for us.

Our horses took it easy on the 22-mile loop back, trotting when it was easy, walking when they needed to (Rhett being the judge). We 2 girls worked hard, closing many gates, many of which took the two of us and a bit of good old fashioned cowboy cussing to close without ripping skin on tightly strung barbed wire. On this day of firsts, Connie also broke Jose to pulling a wagon , chased a rattlesnake (we cantered past a rattling one, and we stopped, and I held the horses while Connie ran back with the camera to try to find it and take a picture), and broke Jose to handstands by his rider (on the ground in front of him, holding his reins).

It was near 5 PM when we made the last dogleg into camp. The last 1/8 of a mile was one mighty Horse Race. The night before at the ride meeting, John had said to work it out if you're going to race in, for the safety of the horses. Well, Connie and I worked it out right then and there who was going to be the slowest to poke in. I enticed Connie to be last by bribing her with the coveted Turtle Award that I knew Steph gave out to the last finisher of the day. She fell for it, and a few people cheered for us as we galloped (rather, trotted) for the finish line, and I kicked Rhett in front of her right at the last corner. I don't think anybody noticed us crossing the finish line, since we were a good hour and ten minutes behind the last finishers, and the vets had all but gone to the Blue Moon Cafe for dinner.

Dinner and the Awards Ceremony, always a big deal at the Owyhee rides with great food and lively prize-giving, ranked up there with the best of them. I'd heard of the partying South Africans at last month's Championship Ride, but they couldn't have outdone the Canadians and Pacific Northwesterners (and a few Californians) at the Owyhee Canyonlands Multiday Day One. All 41 riders and horses finished, setting off a great cheer from all in attendance. Everything set us off laughing, from someone filming someone's rear end (she meant his horse!), and how many Canadians were here (Victoria said, "We can spray for them!"), the Turtle Award and special cheer for Connie and her first 50-mile endurance ride, and special hugs for special riders... and then there was Michael Peterson the head veterinarian.

A quiet man of few unnecessary words, he spoke passionately about the horses' welfare. This evening he explained why hay in the water troughs was not a good thing (dry hay stimulates a horse's salivary glands, which is necessary for the balance of acidity and alkalinity in different parts of the horse's stomach, especially for stressful long distance horse activities). He held everybody spellbound, and then launched smoothly into an extraordinary Moonshine Cowboy Poem. People were in stitches, hooting and hollering, howling at the full moon that had just risen over the ridge to the east, and cheering the artiste hidden in the quiet veterinarian from British Columbia.

It Don't Get No Better Than This

Sunday September 24 2007

Said head veterinarian Dr Michael Peterson at the ride meeting for tomorrow's Day One 50-mile 2007 Owyhee Canyonlands - 260 miles, 5 days in the desert.

Most people here would agree. This is one of the best places to ride on the planet, and you get 5 days of it. Riders from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and a bunch of invaders from Canada are here to hit the trails, with 42 riders starting tomorrow.

The weather is great, 30's in the morning and low 60's for the day, with pure Idaho sunshine to light the way. Trails are perfect after Sunday night's rain.

Former owners of the Blue Canoe restaurant are here catering their terrific after-ride meals (breakfast and lunch too, if you like). Local celebrity Frank is here, along with his owner Tom Noll. 3 people are in contention for the Owyhee Totally Tough Sucker award - which is an Owyhee 100-miler plus all the 50's.

Connie and I will be riding drag tomorrow - closing gates after the last rider. It will be Connie's first endurance ride (she did a limited distance a few years ago). She's already addicted to Owyhee County, so we'll see how her first 50 mile ride corrupts her.

Homeless Sweet Homeless

Sunday September 23 2007

Or, 'Home' Sweet 'Home'?

Either way, it's great to be back in the US, in southern Idaho, the beautiful high desert of Owyhee County.

I'm not sure what exactly was the best part of getting back: emptying the suitcase (!), or wearing different clothes (!), or getting back in the saddle (!!). My first day back I grabbed Steph's awesome horse Rhett, who took me for a splendid ride along the Rim Trail over Hart Creek. This is mine and Rhett's favorite trail. He knows where we're going, and I let him decide what he wants to do. He was into it as much as I was - it was a Welcome Back ride. We trotted along the winding trails, cantered up the hills, galloped up roads and along the grassy flats, strolled along the rim admiring the view, ripped along cow trails through sagebrush, stopped to watch a jeep of hunters drive down a road, galloped along the Pickett Creek Rim and cantered back home. Rhett is the coolest horse. Everybody who gets on him says the same thing. Neighbor Carol calls him her "10 horse. He's the horse I compare every other horse to."

I haven't quite gotten around to putting away the clothes I unpacked from the suitcase yet, and I haven't quite pulled out the fresh clothes I'd stashed away while I was on the road. Haven't had time because I've been riding every day - getting myself back into riding shape, and the Teeters have a 5-day ride coming up starting Tuesday - and a riding friend from Seattle, Connie, showed up to ride and enjoy the great outdoors here.

The weather turned blessedly cool the day I landed in Boise, and got colder over the weekend, imposing blue storm clouds over the Owyhee Front Range to the west, dropping a night's worth of rain (first good rainfall since spring), and a covering of snow in the mountains.

I'd write a bit more, but, it's time to go ride again...